No thumbs-up for Tagovailoa?

Injury suffered during practice this week has downgraded rookie QB to doubtful against Jets

The Miami Dolphins called on Ryan Fitzpatrick to lead the hurry-up offense in the closing minutes of last week’s 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos, hoping the veteran quarterback had a little Fitzmagic left in his tank.

With Tua Tagovailoa suffering a thumb injury on his throwing hand during practice this week, the Dolphins (6-4) will turn to Fitzpatrick once again for Sunday’s 1 p.m. road game against the New York Jets (0-10) — one of his former teams.

Tagovailoa, the former Alabama star whom the Dolphins drafted No. 5, was downgraded to doubtful Saturday, likely because the thumb injury he suffered in Wednesday’s practice impacts his ability to throw the ball with velocity.

“We’re going to watch the film and see what it looks like, and we’ll make a decision,” coach Brian Flores said Friday about Tagovailoa, who has a 100.1

passer rating after completing 61.9% of his passes, throwing for 602 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions in his four starts.

The coaching staff apparently felt it is in the team’s best interest to start the 16-year veteran and have Tagovailoa rest the injured thumb.

The Dolphins are attempting to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2016 and need to win the next two games to have a realistic chance to reach the playoffs.

Miami has a tough stretch of December games (at home versus the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, and on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills), making Sunday’s game against the winless Jets, who will start quarterback Sam Darnold, and next week’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals (2-7-1) critical for its playoff hopes.

Tagovailoa was handed the starting job a month ago because the team hoped to speed up his development by starting him in the season’s final 10 games.

The rookie won his first three starts, but he was pulled in the fourth quarter of last week’s game after struggling against the Broncos defense, which sacked him six times.

Fitzpatrick replaced Tag ovai lo a with the Dolphins trailing 20-10 with 10 minutes, 44 seconds left, and he immediately led Miami to a 53-yard field goal, making it a one-score game.

Fitzpatrick completed 12 of 18 passes, throwing for 117 yards. He drove the offense from the 1-yard line into the

JOHN MCCALL/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Ryan Fitzpatrick, right, might start in place of Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday against the Jets if the rookie can’t play through a thumb injury.

Dolphins quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick converse before a game against the Los Angeles Rams earlier this month. Fitzpatrick might start Sunday’s game at the New York Jets.